Monday, October 27, 2014

I do not know what it is that makes Mr Jones tick, but it must be quite chilling judging from his selection of timepieces and accompanying presentations. However, with all due respect the watches make for a simply lovely Halloween blog. And for that I take off my hat to Mr. Jones. Let me begin by saying, Mr Jones does have a selection of rather cheery watches particularly for the ladies, where squirming worms will cause a sudden paling of pallor and hysterical shrieking.

Some watches may seem cheery like "The Ambassador" watch. The watch title is a nod to the Hans Holbein painting, "The Ambassadors". At first glance the watch seems like colorful smudges on a dial and vacant squares, but as the hour and minute hand line up, a skull slides into view. Much like Hans Holbein's painting. Most often Mr. Jones seeks the assistance of current artists for his artistic expression, but alas in this case Hans Holbein the Younger died from the plague in 1543. Like Mr Jones's watch, the painting seems quite normal, but viewing the painting from a different angle will yield a floating skull, symbolizing mortality, beneath the rather ordinary representation of two wealthy, educated and powerful young men.

The watch is priced at roughly $235 US Dollars. The watch case is crafted from surgical grade 316L stainless steel and coated in PVD. This PVD coating increases the longevity and durability of the timepiece. The movement is a Ronda 513 quartz movement, which is a great movement when going fro quartz. The watch is water resistant to 5ATM or 50 meters, which really means you water the lawn or wash a dish or two with it, but you cannot take a dive in a pond or lake.

Another Mr Jones creation which makes one dive under ones covers until morn is the "Last Laugh Tattoo Edition" The Last Laugh Tattoo Edition is decorated in the bright colors reminiscent of the Mexican "Day of the Dead Festival".

The watch is powered by a Chinese mechanical movement - the ST1721, A pretty basic 20 jewel movement that does the job. Tianjin Seagull Watch Group manufacturers is the worlds largest manufacturer of mechanical movements, but you don't really hear much about them in the world of horology. The company does have a rather intriguing tale to tell, where in 1992 it decided to discontinue all production of mechanical movements and concentrate on quartz and then five years later did a complete and utter reversal when discontinuing quartz and concentrating exclusively on the manufacturer of mechanical movements. With over 3000 employees (and that was back in 2011), the company has mastered highly complex tourbillons such as the multi-axial orbital tourbillon movement. The watch case is PVD coated 316L stainless steel.

For more on China's role in the world of horology - specifically tourbillons - read my blog

The watch , Laugh Now Cry Later, presented at the beginning of the blog, is the artwork of renowned London tattoo artist, Adrian Willard, which is complimentary to his last laugh creation depicted above. I for one find this watch a tad more chilling than his Last Laugh timepiece, perhaps its the bright pink bow above leering eyes and red lips. It too represents the Mexican Day of the Dead Festival; but for some reason I can't help being reminded of Steven King's clown in "IT".

No one can deny the tasteful originality of Mr. Jones, even when presented on a squirming bed of maggots.

About Me

Writing about watches since 2007.
As I held a pocket watch in the palm of my hand, my love for the intricate mechanical craftsmanship turned to an unbridled obsession. Thankfully my training in research methodology has molded my horological passion within the boundaries of scientific exploration.
I also am a regular contributor on aBlogtoWatch.